


Gin & the Green Knight

by AuntyA



Category: Bleach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:47:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22036540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuntyA/pseuds/AuntyA





	Gin & the Green Knight

Cast:

Ichimaru Gin – Gawain Shunsui Kyōraku - King Arthur  
Aizen Sosuke - Green knight/Lord Bertilaks Izuru Kira – Lady Bertilaks

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Gin had found the winter holidays were always the worst. Enforced merriment over a number of days with the Seretei’s finest.

And Head Captain Kyōraku’s ideas of party games were often quite bizarre for those fools made to play them.

Kyōraku was currently sitting sprawled on the dais, drunkenly squinting and randomly pointing at people around the room with finger guns. “Bored!” He roared suddenly. “We need something to entertain us!”

Ukitake giggled behind his sleeve from his seat on the edge of the platform.

“Oi Kenpashei! Juggle fiery sharp things or something!” Kyōraku was pointing vaguely towards Kenpatchi and Kensei who had been sitting together and now were looking over at him somewhat murderously. “That would be fun! To see him juggle. No?” He looked over at Ukitake with watery red eyes.

“Oh honey, you aren’t seeing double, they are two different people.” Ukitake waved his hands at the Captains Kyōraku had pointed to.

"But can either of them juggle? Juggle something dangerous and sing at the same time?" Kyōraku looked at Ukitake mournfully.

“Sure love, maybe our friends could juggle? Something? But do you think we could dance. That would be fun...” Ukitake trailed off here, catching Kensei’s death glare.

“Exactly Juushiro! Now I want to see dancing. That paired up fussy courtly dancing we saw on the human world television. Courtly! Hand holding! Dancing!” He punctuated his words with karate chops in the air, voice getting louder.

With a unified groan, the captains in the room looked to Ukitake. But he just shrugged and smiled, getting up gracefully. “Let’s do it. Though I need a partner-.“ No sooner had he stood up than his vice-captains instantly appeared in front of him, vying to dance with him.

Renji stood over Biyakuya, hand out, “Just like we practiced no?” He smiled. Biyakuya stood up smoothing out his haori and took Renji’s hand gracefully as they walked to the centre of the council room floor.

Gin groaned along with the rest of them but moving quickly to avoid Mayuri, he managed to pair up with a still free Shinji. The rest of the captains assembled on the floor to make two lines.

“Farandole!” Kyōraku called to the musicians in the corner. “Chop chop.”

“Farandole for me!” Kyōraku laughed helplessly to himself. “Far-an-dole!” He clapped his hands together while chanting like a toddler. “Far-an-dole!”

The dancing was graceful, the Captains had been practicing during the year so that by the time the Christmas season came around they could dance freely making it look easy. Bowing to each other, haoris twirling, each dancer weaving and pointing their toes to the music.

Now Kyōraku was bored again. The courtly dancing had ended some time ago and some captains were seated around the hall in small groups drinking, napping and talking.

Kyōraku slumped on the dais. “I want seasonal entertainments! Where are they?” He called out to the remaining captains and vice captains still in the assembly hall. “We need to be seasonally entertained!” roared Kyōraku.

Gin was sitting with Kenpachi, well near Kenpachi anyway. They had been drinking, crosslegged on the floor.

Gin was wrapped up in his haori, with his sandals off, looking forward to getting to the good part of the evening where he was drunk and then could stagger off back to the barracks to see if he could cajole a lower ranking seat into his bed for some warmth.

His feet were always freezing at this time of year regardless of the number of padded socks he wore. Today was no exception. He had noticed a cold draught in the room pushing some green ivy strands across the floor by his feet.

Kenpachi was the company Gin had been looking for tonight. He had wanted to hear tales of wild fights and successful missions. Kenpachi was always good for a night of booze and boasting.

Gin had been vaguely listening to Kyōraku still hollering for his ‘seasonal entertainments’. But then there was an odd silence.

Kenpachi had paused for a moment in between sentences, and turned his head towards the doors of the assembly hall. “Now THAT’s interestin’” he drawled, eagerly interrupting his own fight story.

The doors had opened seemingly by themselves allowing a cold breeze with the smell of pine trees into the room. Gin turned his head in time to see a tall figure entering the hall seemingly in answer the Head Captain’s call for an entertainment.

The tall man was dressed in an odd green brocade kimono and hakima, with deep green armour on, as if he was going to spar in a kendo salle made of grass.

In one green kotay sheathed hand he held a long dark nodachi with green tassels. Covering his head he had a horned helmet of a lighter green.

“Certainly! Let us play a game Head Captain Kyōraku!” the green knight said in a loud deep voice. “I will have an entertainment for you if anyone in this room dares to play it with me tonight.”

Gin could only see the man’s smile behind the darkness of the men. It also seemed like he was wearing glasses, which glinted in the candlelight of the hall.

Gin sat up with interest. Most of the Captains in the room appeared to be looking to Kyōraku for instructions.

The green knight grinned behind his helmet protector. “I am looking for a participant in a test of strength!” He spun around the room, stretching out his long arms pointing at the Captains and vice-captains alike with his long sheathed green nodachi.

“Who are you?” hissed Captain Soi Fong, “Why are you here? How did you get in here?”

“I am the green knight of course.” The knight held his giant green nodachi over his head and made smooth curved movements as if it was weightless. As if he was dancing. “The door was open and I was invited to enter by your Head Captain just now.”

He pointed the nodachi at Soi-Fong, “You are Captain of the Second, Soi Fong, I don’t want to play with you today but I will have to if you volunteer.”

The green knight smiled again with his bright teeth, “Tonight, I request a duel from Head Captain Kyōraku. My duel goes like this, first you cut off my head in one stroke tonight and then in a year I cut off yours!”

Gin saw Shinji laugh but not make even the tiniest move towards his sword.

Next to him, Renji looked like he was going to jump up until Byakuya placed a pale hand lightly on his clenched fists. Gin saw Renji relax his fists to hold Byakuya’s hands and bring them to his lips to kiss them.

Ukitake was fussing just a little, “I don’t think that’s a good idea my Shunsui, you are drunk and you can barely stand.”

Kyōraku just laughed and laughed. “One of my brave Captains will have to take my place that’s all. You worry too much Jushiro.

Kenpachi laid back down to find a bottle that still had drink in it. “I don’t care about fucking magic shit. And I ain’t gonna wait a fucking year to see what happens. What kind of stupid shitty game is that? I ain’t playing. Either we both get the chop today right now or forget it.” He belched.

Gin noticed that Kurotsuchi had vanished from where he had been sitting next to Unohana during drinking after the dancing.

“Gin, why don't you get your skinny ass up there and fucking cut his head off.” Kenpachi was trying to be helpful gin figured.

Gin got up and found his waraji and toed them back on his feet. He was standing and stamped his foot surreptitiously on the floor to get it on his foot. He started to move closer to the green knight.

Unohana was now feigning complete uninterest although Gin knew she was much more interested just by looking at her face. Looking calmly at the green knight, she sat and stared at his head. “Your head already off your shoulders? What’s the helmet for then?”

Gin drawled loud enough for the green knight to hear, “She’s a doctor. So she can put ye back together. Maybe I want to give yer game a try. I got a year. T’ain’t going nowhere.”

He heard Toushiro, laugh harshly, “What a guy Gin is. To take on this burden on behalf of the Seritei. Pfft.”

Then Toushiro rounded on him, “You know this is a magical game right Gin? You can’t win against the spirits. They are smarter than any of us. Why get involved and then lose? There we go again, old men and their stupid arguments. What a pain.”

Rangiku looked between them both. She had looked a bit panicked when she saw Gin start to get up. But now she just looked unhappy.

Gin laughed and stood in front of the green knight. To remove that green head from the giant’s shoulders. It sounded like a very pleasant game for the winter season to Gin.

He heard Kensei over to his left, “Nope. Not me thanks. I’m not interested in sparring with ghosts.”

Lisa was sitting next to Muguruma, and she also didn’t bother to move. She waved her hand at the green knight. “Let him go. Gin can do it. Then he gets his head chopped off next year. Sounds like a perfectly fair game to me.”

A low voice spoke up from the corner, Captain Komamura said, “This is not a good and fair game.” He stood up slowly and leaned into the light. “Ichimaru, you shouldn’t. Kyōraku. Stop him.”

Gin shrugged, ignoring the other captains, moved stand before the green knight, a thin pale hand on the tsuka of his zanpakto. He moved slowly, starting to circle around the green knight.

Over on the dais, Kyōraku couldn't stop laughing. Ukitake was trying to get him to focus but he was in a giggling heap, flapping a fan weakly at Gin and the green knight out on the floor.

Captain Ortoribashi was already on his feet, “I’ve heard tell of this story, this green knight. It’s a very romantic challenge you know.”

The green knight bowed silently to Captain Ortoribashi and then turned back to face Gin. Captain Ortoribashi continued, getting into the swing of things, “The songs for these contests are so interesting historically…”

“Now Rose, we need the contest right now not the song!” Kyōraku shouted at them from the dais.

Gin was now stalking the green knight, turning in a wide circle getting narrower as he came in closer. Gin shot out the blade from the scabbard at his hip, waiting with thumb in position to draw shinso.

“I am Ichimaru Gin, Captain of the Third Division. United as one of the thirteen in the court of pure souls under Head Captain Kyōraku.” Gin took a step forward and began to draw his sword. He could hear the Head Captain drunkenly hooting behind him. There were some cheers from the Captains who hated him. Silence from those who couldn’t care less.

“Just a moment friend. You’ll need to use my sword – it’s one part of this chopping game that we can’t change the rules on.” The green knight was still smiling.

The green knight leaned in and said softly to Gin, “Admiration is the emotion furthest from understanding, as you well you know my friend.” He stood up and with a deep bow, he easily offered Gin the long green lacquered nodashi as if it was a tanto.

Gin’s hand left his own sword at his waist and he solemnly bowed in response. The tense kind of sparring bow where the fighters don’t let the other out of their sight.

On coming closer, Gin could see that the strange green armour was made to replicate the shape of a man, with the green helmet having a grass coloured moustache under the face protector and the deep malachite coloured chestplate sporting human nipples, muscles and ribs amongst embossed ivy.

Gin took the nodachi respectfully in both hands. God that thing was long. And it was heavy. A full thirteen feet at least. He hadn’t trained with this type of weapon but had only read about it.

He wondered how he would be able to draw the sword without getting stuck in the floor. He hefted the nodachi into his left hand to begin. Grasping the grip in his right, he paused, unsure of the next steps.

The grinning green knight was motioning to the scabbard, moving his hands in the tea green kotay quickly and to the side in short sharp pantomime of a draw.

Following his movements, Gin pushed the scabbard off the heavy blade. It clattered to the floor. Not a normal draw for sure. Nothing about this was normal.

The rest of the room began to fade into the background. Gin found himself facing the green knight and the green knight alone filled his vision. Gin was looking upwards at his face. He motioned with the nodachi to indicate the green knight should kneel for him.

The green knight, shook his head. “I will take off my helmet but I won’t kneel to you today." 

He held out his gloved hands to Gin, "You have my sword, and it is very sharp. One strike to remove my head and the game will begin.” He reached up to undo the himo behind his head and then slid the helmet off over his face.

Gin saw a green tenegui, green jade earrings and green glasses frames but he seemed to be a man underneath it all. The green knight held his helmet in one hand at his right hip, trailing the green himo ribbons to the floor. The green knight was quite handsome without his helm.

He leaned in and said with a smile in his voice, “Do you need some height in order to get my head off?”

Gin hissed with irritation. He doubted he could raise his arms high enough to strike the knight’s neck without having to hack his damn head off. He wouldn’t be able to get a single clean stroke.

Suddenly a low box table slid in front of Gin. He looked over at Renji who was now kneeling by the side of the sparring space, arm stretching, pushing the table with his fingers. “Just trying to help.” Renji whispered as he backed up quietly and Gin turned his head again to the green knight.

The knight motioned to the box in front of Gin. “And?”

Gin stepped onto the box table, quickly got his balance and then held the heavy nodachi above his head in a two handed stance. One stroke, he prayed for one stroke.

The knight held up a hand, “Head Captain Kyōraku. We will begin the chopping game if you are ready for your stand in to take his move!”

Gin couldn’t break eye contact with the green knight at this point. He heard some happy shouting from the Head Captain dimly behind him, and then he hoisted the sword as high as he could reach without moving to his toes on the box.

The green knight turned his eyes to Gin, “Any time Captain Ichimaru. Any time.” He moved slightly to stretch his neck forwards so Gin could get a straight blow.

With a sharp intake of breath, Gin brought the heavy field sword down as hard as he could, as straight as he could, on the green knight’s neck. Gin had aimed just below the line of dark curls at the nape of his neck and just above the mint green kimono collar and the shades of green kosodes.

The green knight’s head fell with a thump to the floor. Closely followed by the nodachi blade tip coming down with a thud.

Gin, breathed out through his nose, and stepped off the box back down to the floor. About to drop the sword, he was surprised to see the green knight’s body was still upright. No blood.

Shit. He thought. Magic.

The nodachi suddenly felt lighter in his hands. Gin looked down to see the long lacquered sword had turned into a sword made of holly branches. He dropped it onto the floor as if it was alive.

The green knight’s body leaned over and was reaching around with both hands at its’ feet until it made contact with the head that had rolled a little away from him. Grasping his own head by the hair, the knight’s body held his head up to address the party in the room.

“Many thanks to you Captain Ichimaru. Wonderful sport today. You are a very welcome player in my game. Remember we will have a meeting at my castle in one year. Please do not be late! It will be my turn to chop off your head as it will be your turn to submit. And you will forfeit if you are not there.”

Gin blurted out, “But how will I find you? Where is your castle?”

The knight’s head replied with a laugh, “My castle is in the valley of sunset in the centre of the dark woods, past the home of the west wind. Come find me on the solstice and we will complete our game.”

And with that the knight took his holly sword, his green helmet and his head and disappeared in a gust of wind leaving only a handful of dried holly leaves swirling on the floor. No-one in the room could remember if they had actually seen the green man leaving or arriving but they had all seen Gin take part in the chopping game.

The assembled captains and vice captains crowded around a silent and sullen Gin.

He was considering the strange magical joke that he had gotten himself into and didn’t think there was enough kido in the world to save him from this game.


End file.
